How the Temple Walls were Built

Awe Inspiring and Amazing Technological and Artistic FeatsThe construction on the Temple Mount under Herod, including the construction of the Western Wall with its enormous courses of stone, was among the greatest technological and artistic achievements of that era. Even today, the remains of the Temple evoke wonder and awe. How did Herod's engineers build such an enormous, impressive structure? How did they cut the huge stones? How did they transport them? How did they lift them to such a height? We have yet to figure out all the methods that they used.

The methods shown in these animations are based on ancient professional writings, sketches and drawings, and the techniques used by pre-technological societies.

How the Quarrying was DoneIn order to separate the stone from the bedrock, the stonecutters used hammers, chisels and metal wedges.

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Transporting Large Stones with Oxen and Log RollersTransporting the stones from the quarry to the building site required a lot of creativity.

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Transporting Stones Using Huge Wheels In order to transport stones that were too heavy for wagons, special methods were developed.

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Transporting Stones Using a Wagon Hitched to OxenDuring the days of the Second Temple, wagons hitched to oxen were used for transporting goods for civilian and military use.

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Using Manual Cranes to Lift Heavy StonesThe builders of the Temple Mount needed a lot of strength and ingenuity to move and lift the stones.

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Perfect PrecisionUsing a manual crane, the huge stones were placed onto log rollers and pulled along by beasts of burden.